A Bangladeshi-origin owner of an Indian restaurant in the UK jailed for six years after being convicted of manslaughter of a man with a severe nut allergy who died as a result of dining at the eatery has apologised to his family.
Mohammed Zaman, 53, owner of Indian Garden restaurant in northern England's Easingwold, was convicted of Paul Wilson's manslaughter following a trial at Teesside Crown Court last month.
Wilson, 38, had asked for a chicken tikka masala with "no nuts" but the curry he was given had been cooked with a ground nut mix containing peanuts, despite the request being clearly marked for his meal.
The email sent out by the restaurant titled "Our Apology" describes the outcome of the case as "somewhat disappointing" and goes on to promote a "new dessert menu" andits "Saturday special" lassis.
The email, reported by'ITV News' says, "(We)... Sincerely apologise to all our loyal customers for the recent heavy press surrounding the Easingwold branch and the somewhat disappointing decision for our founding father Mr Zaman. Mistakes have been made and this is no excuse but now is a time to move on as Mr Zaman so wishes".
"We are now in the process of launching a new dessert menu and have hired an exclusive pastry chef from London to design this. Our philosophy, started by our founder, (Mohammed) Khalique Zaman, was and still is to create real quality Indian cuisine of the highest standard.
"With exhilarating flavours and subtle aromas... Jaipur Spice will transform your perception of Indian food... You'll spot the difference the moment the food arrives!" it said.
However, the email was described as "crass", forcing Zaman - serving a six-year jail term - to apologise again.
Zaman's son Emraz admitted the message had been inappropriate, issuing an apology on his behalf to Wilson's parents.
He said, "We know that no words can rectify what has happened. This has broken our hearts".
Zaman's restaurant is called Indian Garden, a popular trend among Bangladeshi-origin restaurateurs to cash in on the popularity of Indian food in the UK.
